Critical pedagogy seeks to identify, critique, and disrupt the inequalitiesof the dominant culture, thus equipping learners to transform oppressivesocial, cultural, and economic conditions. While many theorists, critics,and practitioners have considered how critical pedagogical strategies andperspectives might be employed in higher education, the academic libraryremains mostly absent in these discussions. There have been fewinterventions in the library literature with specific reference to criticalpedagogy, but these perspectives mostly consider critical literacyapplications. Other forms of critical pedagogy, such as feminist, queer,and critical race theory, have yet to be fully explored in the context ofthe library instruction classroom. We intend for this book to intervene inthis gap in the literature.

Objective of book

This book, to be published by Library Juice Press in September 2009,proposes to consider the following questions: How might libraryinstruction benefit from exploring critical pedagogical strategies? Whatchallenges are posed by the unique requirements of library instruction?And how might our use of critical pedagogical strategies help us embedlibrary instruction in the critical classrooms on our campuses? We inviteproposals that 1) investigate intersections between critical pedagogy andthe library instruction classroom and 2) identify pedagogical applicationsthat can be adopted in library instruction programs.

Target audience

The target audience for this book includes librarians who teach, libraryinstruction program coordinators, faculty and instructors interested inbringing librarians into the classroom, and librarians interested indeveloping liberatory and anti-oppressive professional practices.

Suggested topics

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

*Envisioning what critical pedagogy might do for the library instructionclassroom*Examination of specific types of critical pedagogiesâ€"-such as queer,feminist, or critical race theory-â€"and their implications for the libraryinstruction classroom*Discussions of particular theories/theorists (e.g. Paulo Friere, LisaDelpit, Peter Mclaren, Henry Giroux, Deborah Britzman, etc.) and theirrelevance for library instruction*Illustrations of how critical pedagogy works in practice*Examples of instruction sessions taught from a critical pedagogy framework*Explorations of how critical pedagogy intersects with student and facultyresearch*Considerations of how critical pedagogy can inform selection andcollection development decisions*Imagining how critical pedagogy can be useful in other teaching contexts â€"e.g., during the reference interview, in workshops, when librarians teachin community spaces

Submission procedure

Please submit abstracts and proposals of up to 500 words and a shortauthor's statement to criticallibraryinstruction_at_googlegroups.com bySeptember 15, 2008, with notification by November 15. Final manuscripts ofbetween 1500 and 5000 words will be due February 15.